Denis Murphy (Medal of Honor)

Denis John Francis Murphy (June 28, 1830 – June 19, 1901) was an American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Denis J.F. Murphy
BornJune 28, 1830 (1830-06-28)
County Cork, Ireland
DiedJune 19, 1901 (1901-06-20) (aged 70)
Wisconsin
Place of burial
Allouez, Wisconsin
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Army
Years of service1861 - 1862
RankSergeant
Unit Company F, 14th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War
Awards Medal of Honor

Biography

Murphy was born in County Cork, Ireland. He married Bridget McGinnis. He and his wife owned a family farm in Glenmore (De Pere), and moved into Green Bay after the war—his injuries making it no longer possible to continue farming. He died on June 19, 1901 in Green Bay.[1] He is buried in the Murphy Family Plot (along with his wife, parents, several of his 11 children and other relatives at the Allouez Catholic Cemetery in nearby Allouez, Wisconsin.[2][3] Many of Murphy's descendants still live in Brown County, Wisconsin, with many more in other parts of the United States.

Military career

Murphy served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He joined the Army from Green Bay, Wisconsin in September 1861 and was a member of the 14th Wisconsin Infantry, coming from a unit known as the De Pere Rifles. He was discharged due to disability in November 1862. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Second Battle of Corinth, where he continued carrying his regiment's colors despite being wounded three times.[4][5] He was also wounded in the Battle of Shiloh and Battle of Iuka.[4]

He was awarded a ceremonial saber with the inscription "for valor at the Battles of Shiloh and Corinth." This saber was kept and handed down by his descendants until it mysteriously disappeared into the hands of a thus-far anonymous collector (who later attempted to sell it to the Neville Public Museum) in the mid-1990s.

The Denis J. Murphy Army Reserve in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin is named after him.[6]

Medal of Honor citation

His award citation reads "Although wounded three times, carried the colors throughout the conflict."

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See also

References
  1. "Civil War Commemoration to Join Nation in Centennial Recognition". The Post-Crescent. November 25, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved April 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Museum". Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  3. David Pevear, "Lowell-area recipients of Congressional Medal of Honor" The Lowell Sun, November 10, 2009.
  4. "Bravery". The Appleton Crescent. November 22, 1862. p. 3. Retrieved April 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Edwin Bentley Quiner, The Military History of Wisconsin. Chicago: Clarke & Co., 1866. https://books.google.com/books?id=zxVCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA604&dq=%22dennis+murphy%22#v=onepage&q=%22dennis%20murphy%22
  6. "Reserve Facility Dedicated". The Daily Globe. July 20, 1998. p. 9. Retrieved April 20, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
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